9 nights with breakfast at Palace Hotel Desenzano, five green fees per person (Chervò Golf San Vigilio Golf Club, Arzaga, Golf Club Paradiso del Garda Gardagolf and Golf Club Verona) and one dinner in a restaurant from our culinary programme.

We are south of Lake Garda, on lands where the Second War of Independence was fought in 1859 between the Franco-Sardinian and Austrian armies. The only battles being fought here today are fortunately the personal ones with one’s golf game, and without too many frustrations nonetheless: this is a course where even players with high handicaps can enjoy themselves (the holes have five tee boxes to adapt the course to all levels) and where you don’t have to spend a lot of time looking for your ball because it’s always in plain sight (unless it ends up in one of the many water hazards!). Before going to play, climb the travertine and wrought iron stairs leading to the top floor of the bright clubhouse. Go out on the terrace where the panorama sweeps 360-degrees over the courses and the 110 hectares of property. From here, you have the best overview of the four 9-hole courses designed by German architect Kurt Rossknecht in 2008. The 18 classical competition holes are those of the Benaco – with a memorable Hole 5, a par 3 of 180 meters almost completely taken up by the lake – combined with those of the Solferino; the 9 holes of both courses are spectacular, sharing the same lake and the same immense putting green onto which the clubhouse windows look. The San Martino course is also beautiful, a rather long par 35 with many water hazards. Test your short game and try the Pozzolengo course, with its 9 executive holes that are varied and entertaining. Technical Details Course Benaco/Solferino: 9 holes, Par 36, 3427 meters. Course San Martino: 9 holes, Par 35, 2910 meters Course Pozzolengo: 9 holes, Par 27, 1025 meters Architect: Kurt Rossknecht Topography: somewhere flat, somewhere hilly; a lot of water hazards. Distinctive features: Every golf player will find here his ideal situation. Pro’s Comments The Golf Chervò – San Vigilio can be best defined as “universal”: challenging for pros and amateurs with low handicaps, fun for medium-high handicaps; congratulations to the designer who intuited his client’s needs, that is, for building a splendid “tourist” course. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s easy; it is rather long, with large greens and cross bunkers that are difficult to get over. Fun guaranteed for all. Try it.

It only takes a moment to reach the golf club once you exit the A4 motorway at Sommacampagna: drive through the town and after a few minutes, turn right onto the road that rises to the club. It is a timeless oasis, a picture postcard that invites you to relax with its clubhouse built of stone and red bricks covered with ivy, an ancient well spouting geraniums and trees shading the patio in front of the putting green. Inside, the floors in worn terracotta tiles, ceilings with dark wooden beams alternating with bricks, and cozy parlors with a country elegance. This is a traditional club founded in 1963, where those who come here never want to leave. The loyal staff running it thinks so too, as it has remained virtually unchanged over the decades. Two talents of the likes of Silvia Cavalleri and Matteo Manassero took their first golfing steps here, and refined their games on the undulating fairways designed first by John Harris, then revisited by Giulio Cavalsani, and more recently, Alvise Rossi Fioravanti with Baldovino Dassù. It is a hilly course running through vineyards which, to the west of Verona – the city of Romeo and Juliet – serve to frame the hills of Custoza. The front nine are rather narrow and shorter, while the back are very long but also very broad. The raised greens oblige players to hit well calculated approach shots. Technical details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6054 meters. Architect: John Harris Topography: very physical with big differences in height. Distinctive features: the equipment for the play will have to be complete: good drivers, precise clubs and the best putters. Pro’s comments This is a course where you must pander to the terrain’s frequent undulations. Some holes are really a lot of fun. Allow me to mention Hole 4, where stronger players who are willing to gamble can try to reach the green directly with their first shots. Otherwise, you can play a tee shot to the left part of the fairway, to have a better angle to center the green with your second shot. Even an inexperienced play can score a birdie here, with a little luck. A fun course for all. Definitely worth playing.

The history of Gardagolf, in the immediate surroundings of the lake from which it takes its name, began in 1986 with the brilliant foresight of its promoters: the choice of a well-suited piece of land – the 110 hectares of the historic estate of the Omodeo family dominated by the stunning villa which today serves as clubhouse – with a mild and temperate microclimate that allows for play even in the colder months. Designed by the English architectural studio Cotton, Penninck, Steel & Partners, the first 18 holes opened (Red and White courses), and then were extended to 27 (Yellow course) four years later. The technical qualities of the course were immediately acknowledged on an international level: the Ladies Italian Open was played here in1990, won by Belgian Florence Descampe, followed by two memorable editions of the Men’s Italian Open, in 1997 and 2003, in which the Swede Mathias Gronberg and German Bernhard Langer triumphed respectively. The most memorable hole? Probably Hole 2 on the Red course, a par 3 of 145 meters: it is an aesthetically pleasing hole that is rolling and tortuous with flowering bushes and soaring cypresses. With its beauty, this hole aims to distract you and often succeeds. This is a huge error, because even if it isn’t very long and the descent shortens it even further, the green is deliberately narrow and the lake defending it is quite large on the other hand. The green also has some wicked slopes, all towards the right side and the water. A three-putt is always lurking around the corner. Technical details Course : 18+9 holes, Par 72/36, 6055/2798 meters Architects : Cotton, Pennink, Steel Topography : very hilly, large water hazards Distinctive features : long drives are not obvious, more advisable is a short and deliberate game Pro’s comments Gardagolf is a course that challenges a golfer’s ability. It’s all there. Greens with steep slopes, very undulating fairways with rather dramatic differences in level, a lake breeze and a perfectly respectable overall length: all these add together to make it among Italy’s most beautiful and difficult courses. Concentration, strategy and experience are indispensable qualities and that is why being able to play your handicap at Gardagolf is enormously satisfying. Some advice: on holes 1,2, 6 ,8 ,13 and 18, try not to put yourself in the position of playing downhill putts. Unless you’ve got Jordan Spieth’s touch, getting out with only two putts becomes a heroic undertaking.

The beauty of the magnificent mansion of the fifteenth century which hosts the clubhouse and the facilities of the five star resort will take your breath away. It’s been restored thanks to the Baron Lando Lanni della Quara, in 1998. But this is only the beginning, because the two courses are keeping the promise of an inspiring welcome. The signatures belong to two worldwide heavyweights of golf: the American Jack Nicklaus II, son of the Golden Bear, has designed the 18 holes, whereas on the 9 holes course has worked the South African Gary Player. Two very different golf courses in terms of characteristics: Player has taken advantage of the undulating terrain, arranging it to resemble a Scottish link, complete with the classical and fatal “pot bunkers”, small and deep, scattered in strategic positions as traps; the project of Nicklaus Jr is on the contrary more typically American, less complicated, with larger fairways and wide greens, that reward a powerful game and don’t penalise inaccuracy too much. Take the souvenir photo on the 18th hole championship tee, which offers a 360° fascinating view. After golf, it would be a pity not taking advantage of the gourmet cuisine of the club’s restaurant, under the enchanting vaulted ceilings or al fresco, on the large terrace surrounded by the gardens. To release the tension and get back your energy, the ideal solution is to choose some pure relaxation, indulging in the skilled hands at the Spa. Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6410 meters Architect: Jack Nicklaus Distinctive features: perfect for long shots, large fairways, deep bunkers, hazards Course: 9 holes, Par 36, 3027 meters Architect: Gary Player Distinctive features: scottish Links course, hilly, high greens and deep bunkers, a strategic play is required. Playing Arzaga Golf Club is a unique experience. The Jack Nicklaus II course is extremely pleasant and fair, forgives a few small technical errors, but it doesn’t mean that therefore it’s easy or ordinary, on the contrary: some wicked obstacles on the holes can penalize the player beyond measure! The 9th and the 18th holes are alone worth the expense of the green-fee: challenging to play, both have greens by the spectacular clubhouse. A not to be missed course! The 9 holes designed by Gary Player are completely different: traps everywhere with very well guarded and difficult to read greens. An entertaining and unique experience. Take care with the first shot of the 1st hole, a dog-leg to the right: if you decide to cut and you’re not strong enough, a double bogey is waiting for you!